Community > Posts By > smart2009

 
smart2009's photo
Sun 11/16/14 08:56 AM
Russian state TV has broadcast what it claimed to be a photo of the moment Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet. But many commentators dismissed the image as a "crude fake".
Late on 14 November, Russia's state-controlled Channel One TV broadcastwhat appeared to be a satellite photo of a passenger plane and a jet fighter in the skies above Donetsk, a separatist stronghold in Ukraine. It was, the report said, the moment the Ukrainian jet fired a missile at MH17.
This theory has long been promoted by pro-Kremlin media, and it came to the fore again as President Vladimir Putin was preparing to meet world leaders at the G20 summit in Australia. He is widely expected to face some tough questions over Russia's alleged role in the Ukraine crisis and the downing of MH17.
Channel One said the "sensational photograph" came from a certain George Bilt, who claimed to be a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate with more than two decades of experience in the aviation industry. He emailed it to Ivan Andriyevsky, the first vice-president of the Russian Union of Engineers, the report went on.
"We can assume that the photograph was taken by an American or British satellite," Andriyevskiy told Channel One, "we have studied the photograph in detail and found nothing suggesting that it is fake."
The presenter, well-known pro-Kremlin commentator Mikhail Leontyev, agreed. "To fake something like this, you'd have to be an even bigger professional than to have access to this kind of information," he said.
Mr Leontyev also suggested that the timing of the report was not accidental either. "We know that Australian Prime Minister Abbott threatened to ask our president some difficult questions about the Malaysian Boeing. Let us help him," Leontyev said at the start of the broadcast.
Online scepticism
But shortly after the broadcast, many web users concluded that the image broadcast by Channel One was a crude forgery rather than a solid piece of evidence.
Several commentators pointed out that the "Malaysia" logo on the plane from the photograph was in the wrong place. Maksim Kats, a Russian blogger, said the plane in the picture looked like a slightly altered version of the one that tops the search results if you Google " Boeing view from above" in Russian. It also happens to be a publicity photo of a Boeing 767, not a 777, which was shot down over Ukraine in July.
Others noted that the fighter jet looked different from an Su-25 - the type which the Russian media had consistently claimed shot down MH17.
There were also claims that the shape of clouds in the satellite image proved that it actually came from a Google Earth photo of the area taken on 28 August 2012.
Furthermore, those who carried out a reverse image search on Google found that the photograph with the two planes was not so new or exclusive after all: it was first uploaded to a Russian forum on 15 October. Its source was claimed to be "enthusiasts from the Russian wikileaks".
'Crude fake'
The apparent flaws in Channel One's report triggered a torrent of ridicule. Ilya Varlamov, one of Russia's most popular bloggers, called Channel One's claim "a crudely photoshopped fake... just one episode in the information war". "Keep your brain clean, don't watch TV," he urged his readers.
And one user on Russia's Aviaforum website said: "We'd have a good laugh about it, if the topic wasn't so tragic".

smart2009's photo
Wed 10/01/14 05:52 AM
Edited by smart2009 on Wed 10/01/14 06:05 AM
Wes Craven Movies.My Soul to Take2010
The Last House on the Left 2009
Paris Je T'aime 2007
The Hills Have Eyes 2 2007
The Breed 2007
Feast 2006
Pulse (2006)
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Red Eye 2005
Cursed 2005
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001
The People Under the Stairs 1991
L'Emprise des t�n�bres 1988
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The Hills Have Eyes1977

smart2009's photo
Wed 10/01/14 05:51 AM
True Detective.

smart2009's photo
Wed 10/01/14 04:52 AM
Three Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedics and several emergency room workers at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital are off work and under observation after making contact with the patient being treated for Ebola.
None of the individuals has been identified.

smart2009's photo
Tue 09/30/14 07:36 AM
Russia and Iran plan on replacing the U.S. dollar with their national currencies for the settlement of bilateral trade transactions.
Russia has long been a proponent of reducing the dollar's pre-eminence in international trade, a position that became top priority this year after Western sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine cut off Russian state banks and energy majors from U.S. and EU capital markets.
Earlier this month, Russia and China agreed to settle more of their future bilateral trade using the ruble and yuan. Russia and North Korea in June also agreed to switch to rubles for trade payments.

smart2009's photo
Tue 09/30/14 03:53 AM
A Canadian man has admitted killing his lover and sending parts of his body in the post to political figures.
However, Luka Magnotta, 32, pleaded not guilty to five charges related to the 2012 death of Jun Lin, a Chinese university student, including murder.
On the first day of his trial, Mr Magnotta's lawyer said he was mentally ill, and the judge said jurors would have to determine his state of mind.
He faces a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges.
The trial start was delayed amid a crowded court calendar and difficulty selecting jurors.
Nearly 1,600 people were interviewed to fill a 14-person bilingual jury that includes two alternates.
Mr Magnotta's lawyer, Luc Leclair, said he had sought jurors who were open-minded and willing to listen to the case, broadcaster CTV reported.
Canadian and European law enforcement hunted for Mr Magnotta across Europe
"He's been waiting a long time," Mr Leclair said. "There was a time that we never thought this day would come."
Prospective jurors were asked during the panel selection whether they would be able to handle graphic and disturbing evidence.
Police began their investigation after finding a headless torso near Mr Magnotta's Montreal flat in late May 2012.
Soon after, limbs were found in the post sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office and to the Liberal Party's office.
Lin's body parts were also later revealed to have been mailed to two British Columbia schools. His head was found in a Montreal park.
Investigators also found a video posted online thought to show Lin's murder.
Mr Magnotta fled to Europe, prompting an international manhunt that ended when he was arrested in an internet cafe in Berlin.
He is charged with first-degree murder, committing an indignity to a body, publishing obscene material, mailing such material, and criminally harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of parliament.
Mr Magnotta's lawyer, Luc Leclair, said his client had been waiting for the trial for a long time
The prosecution may ask the jury to find Mr Magnotta guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter if they cannot prove Mr Magnotta intentionally killed Lin and planned the murder in advance.
Mr Leclair said the defence would make the case that the accused was mentally ill.
"A person is not responsible if he or she suffers from a mental disorder at the time of the act," he said.
The trial is expected to last four to six weeks. About 60 witnesses are expected to be called.
Lin, who was enrolled as a computer science and engineering student at Concordia University in Montreal, was from the city of Wuhan in China.
His father, Diran Lin, will attend the trial.
http://m.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29414302
Luka Rocco Magnotta(bornEric Clinton Kirk Newman; July 24, 1982) is a formerCanadian ... international student, then mailing his severed limbs to political parties and elementary schools. [ 7 ]This act gained international notoriety. After a video allegedly depicting the murder was posted online, Magnotta fled the country, becoming the subject of an Interpol Red Noticeand prompting an international manhunt. He was apprehended at an Internet caf�in Berlinwhile reading news about himself. [ 7 ]
He was previously sought by animal rightsgroups for allegedly uploading videos of himself killing kittens. [ 8 ]
Biography
Eric Clinton Kirk Newman was born on July 24, 1982 in Scarborough, Ontario. [ 1 ]He attended I. E. Weldon Secondary Schoolin Lindsay. [ 1 ]
In 2003, he began to appear in gay pornographicvideos, occasionally working as a stripperand a male escort
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Magnotta

smart2009's photo
Tue 09/30/14 02:46 AM
YASYNUVATA Ukraine (Reuters) - With his face hidden behind a camouflage balaclava and an assault rifle slung over his shoulder, "Hunter" looks like other separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine.
What distinguishes him from his brothers in arms in the Vostok (East) battalion, an irregular pro-Russian militia fighting government forces, is his American accent - and English is the only language he knows.
"I'm an American. I joined an independence movement," said Hunter, flashing a U.S. passport as proof of his nationality.
Using his "nom de guerre" and refusing to reveal his real name, age or home town, he described himself as a veteran of the American military without a job in the United States. He did not explain the reasons for his commitment to helping the rebels.
"I don't want anybody to think I fight for the Russian government here," he said, adding that he was in eastern Ukraine to "help" the population demanding a clean break from Kiev.
Apparently keen to show their cause has attracted support from abroad, the rebels drove him to the interview in the car of one of the Vostok battalion's leaders.
The United States has sided with Kiev in the nearly six-month-old conflict between forces loyal to the government and the separatists in mainly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine.
The separatists are supported by Russia, although Moscow denies providing the rebels with arms and troops.
Making light of his lack of Russian-language skills, Hunter said: "It's not in-depth discussion or sophisticated conversations but, you know, there is enough conversation to .. move about and do things."
The conflict, in which more than 3,000 people have been killed since mid-April, has attracted foreign volunteer fighters from Europe and elsewhere on both sides but more often among the ragtag rebel units. A fragile ceasefire is now in place.
Hunter spoke beside rebel trenches in Yasynuvata, a town north of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk and a strategic rail hub that has suffered heavy fighting and changed hands several times during the conflict. The Ukrainian forces' positions are less than two km (one mile) away.
Hunter said he had joined the rebel ranks in mid-August but was initially detained and interrogated on suspicion of being a spy because the rebels see the United States as a geopolitical rival for Russia and their own enemy in a Cold War-style standoff over Ukraine.
Hunter said used to vote Republican but had become as disillusioned with that party as he was with the Democratic Party of President Barack Obama.
He did not appear homesick but misses his favorite burgers.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0HO17020140929?irpc=932

smart2009's photo
Mon 09/29/14 12:06 PM
Edited by smart2009 on Mon 09/29/14 12:10 PM
Two Ebola patients, who died of the virus in separate communities in Nimba County have reportedly resurrected in the county. The victims, both females, believed to be in their 60s and 40s respectively, died of the Ebola virus recently in Hope Village Community and the Catholic Community in Ganta, Nimba.
But to the amazement of residents and onlookers on Monday, the deceased reportedly regained life in total disbelief. TheNewDawnNimba County correspondent said the late Dorris Quoi of Hope Village Community and the second victim only identified as Ma Kebeh, said to be in her late 60s, were about to be taken for burial when they resurrected.
Ma Kebeh had reportedly beenin door for two nights without food and medication before her alleged death. Nimba County has had bazaar news of Ebola cases with a native doctor from the county, who claimed that he could cure infected victims, dying of the virus himself last week.
News of the resurrection of the two victims has reportedly created panic in residents of Hope Village Community and Ganta at large, with some citizens describing Dorris Quoi as a ghost, who shouldn’t live among them. Since the Ebola outbreak in Nimba County, this is the first incident of dead victims resurrecting.
http://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12763:dead-ebola-patients-resurrect&catid=3:general&Itemid=68

smart2009's photo
Thu 05/15/14 05:52 AM
We’ve seen a number of ridiculous arguments against same sexmarriage, even as more Americans are accepting the right to enter into a legally sanctioned monogamous relationship with one partner of legal age, regardless of the gender of that partner. Previously so-called “natural marriage” advocates have warned that same sex unions would lead to allowances to marry anything from robotsto animalsto even tables and chairs.
But no one ever made the effort to sue to try and make one of those ridiculous examples a reality. At least, not until now.
Meet Chris Sevier, who tried to insert himself into the gay marriage debate in Florida by filing to be allowed to marry his “porn-filled computer.” According to the local Palm Beach press, Sevier filed a lawsuit asking that he be able to enter into a legal relationship with his laptop because, basically, it meets his sexual needs.
“In the 24-page document, Sevier says that if gay couples ‘have the right to marry their object of sexual desire, even if they lack corresponding sexual parts, then I should have the right to marry my preferred sexual object,’” reports the local paper, which also notes that Sevier has a longstanding history of filing frivolous and attention-seeking court cases in an attempt to try and show his support for traditional marriage.
Unamused by the gumming up of the court system, a Florida judge has already thrown out his suit, calling it irrelevant. “Perhaps the motion is satirical. Or perhaps it is only removed from reality. Either way, the motion has no place in this lawsuit,” Judge Robert Hinkle wrote with its dismissal on April 24, according to New York Daily News.
Seiver, who actually was trained as a lawyer but has been forbiddenfrom practicing law since 2011 due to “mental infirmity or illness,” is unshockingly being applauded by some far right same sex marriage opponents for his alleged exposing of both the irrationality of same sex marriage and the evils of pornography. “Satirical or not, Sevier’s science is sound when he claims his pornographic addiction has left him with an unorthodox sexual preference he finds difficult to overcome,” writes Kristen Andersen at Lifesitenews.com. ”…In Sevier’s case, he claims he bonded with his computer at the expense of his marriage to his wife – a sad but all-too-common occurrence, based on the multiple public testimoniesof men who have said the same thing.”
There are a number of simple reasons why Seiver’s plea bears no resemblance to any sort of civil rights issue involved in the marriage question. Legal rights cannot be be conferred onto an inanimate object, one with no consciousness and hence no ability to consent to a marriage or “relationship” in the first place. There is no ability to transfer property. Marriage itself requires a birth certificate or proof of identity, none of which could be issued. In fact, the one reason that Seiver offers in defense of his man/machine relationship is an allegation of sexual attraction, which ironically enough isn’t something that is a requirement for actually getting married.
So, as a publicity stunt, well, Seiver was at least successful in running up headlines, which is exactly what he likely intended. As a true public commentary on the supposed irrationality of same sex marriage, however, Seiver came no where near even making clever satire. Any gay marriage opponent who claims otherwise is instead making it clear that they really don’t understand marriage at all, either.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2623231/Is-real-life-Her-Army-veteran-wants-MARRY-laptop-says-computers-preferred-sexual-object.html
Read What a Judge Said to the Man Who Filed a Motion to Marry ...
http://www.charismanews.com/us/43830-read-what-a-judge-said-to-the-man-who-filed-a-motion-to-marry-his-porn-filled-laptop

smart2009's photo
Mon 04/07/14 11:52 AM
In Pictures, Darth Vader Running for President of Ukraine.
http://mashable.com/2014/04/06/photos-darth-vader-ukraine/
surprised rofl

smart2009's photo
Mon 04/07/14 11:37 AM
KIEV, Ukraine — The seizure of government buildings in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatists is being orchestrated by Moscow to create an excuse for a military invasion like in Crimea, Ukraine's prime minister said Monday.
"Russia's scenario is division and destruction of Ukraine," said Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a Cabinet meeting. "The plan for foreign troops to cross the border and attack the country. We won't let it happen."
Ukrainian authorities said armed gunmen took over the local headquarters of the security services in Luhansk, which is 15 miles from the border with Russia. Luhansk is one of several cities in east Ukraine where secessionists have held protests in recent weeks.
Groups of unidentified people erected barriers overnight on Luhansk's thoroughfare and police have blocked all entrances to the city. Local media reported that the pro-Russian demonstrators stormed the building Sunday, pelting the building with eggs, stones, a smoke grenade and finally a firebomb.
In the eastern city of Donetsk, pro-Russian separatists who seized the main administration building on the weekend and raised a Russian flag over it proclaimed Monday the creation of a "people's republic" independent of Ukrainian rule, according to Ukraine and Russian media.
People in Donetsk said the police are not doing enough to stop the pro-Russian violence.
"The people who stand for a united Ukraine are mostly intellectuals, while their opponents are uneducated and aggressive people, drunk with the feeling of impunity that they have thanks to the inactivity of local police," Liudmyla Yatsyna said. "We don't have a chance against this crowd."
The Interfax news agency said the activists demanded that a referendum be held no later than May 11 on the breaking away of the Donetsk region.
In footage uploaded to the Internet, an unidentified pro-Russia activist in the provincial government headquarters in Donetsk asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to send peacekeeping troops to the region.
"Without your support, without the support of Russia, it will be hard for us to resist the Kiev junta on our own," he said, referring to the Ukraine government that was appointed by the elected parliament after it voted to oust Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovych in February for the killing of more than 80 protesters.
Crowds also assaulted local government buildings in the eastern city of Kharkiv on Sunday, but Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Monday that the Kharkiv building had been retaken by authorities.
MORE: After Ukraine, Russian activists brace for repressions
The takeovers are similar to what happened in the Ukraine province of Crimea just before masked Russian troops poured in to help local separatists keep out Ukraine troops and prevent opponents to Russia from getting in the way. Moscow has since claimed Crimea to be part of Russia, and has forced out all Ukraine troops and authorities.
Ukrainians who have held rallies in favor of keeping their country to remain intact say they are being attacked by the separatists.
"We sit at home because both times we went out to protest for a united Ukraine, we came back home covered in dirt from the raw eggs they were throwing at us," said Donetsk resident Yulia Stryzhak.
"And others even experienced grenades and tear gas. Going out for a demonstration now is a real threat to one's life."
Tens of thousands of Russian troops are massed at the border with Ukraine. Putin told President Obama and European leaders last week he had removed some of the troops, but Ukraine says none have left.
Obama has said Putin must not invade, and the White House says he gave the message to Putin in a series of phone calls. But Obama says he opposes any use of military force by NATO, the European-U.S. military alliance that has troops and aircraft in the region.
Ukraine has pleaded for help from the West militarily. So far, the West has issued sanctions against some of Putin's inner circle and provided financial aid and prepared meals to Ukraine.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/07/ukraine-gunmen-seized-building/7410151/
Pro-Russian protesters have stormed government buildings in three eastern Ukrainian cities.
In Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv they clashed with police, hung Russian flags from the buildings and called for a referendum on independence.
Ukraine's acting president called an emergency security meeting in response.
The unrest comes amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine over the removal of pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych and Russia's annexation of Crimea.
AnalysisByBridget Kendall
Diplomatic correspondent, BBC News
These are not the first protests of this kind in eastern Ukraine. Nor are they that big. But they have resurfaced with renewed determination and co-ordination.
Moscow will argue they show the strength of feeling among Russian speakers and reinforce Russia's call for speedy constitutional reform to give them more say over their own future.
But after the Russian takeover in Crimea, Kiev suspects that this is not grassroots activism, but an orchestrated campaign designed to trap Kiev into either succumbing to demands to let eastern regions govern themselves or even break away to join Russia or running the risk of mounting unrest and a possible Russian invasion.
So it is no wonder Ukraine's acting president has cancelled his trip abroad.
If he can't stop these rallies from getting bigger and more violent, he fears that President Vladimir Putin could claim Kiev has lost control of eastern Ukraine, and Russia has no option but to intervene for "humanitarian" reasons.
Why have protests erupted?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow has the right to protect the Russian-speaking population there.
Ukraine's leaders deny the country's Russian speakers are under threat and have said they will resist any intervention in their country.
Ukrainian Acting President Olexander Turchynov cancelled a planned visit to Lithuania and called a meeting of the country's security chiefs to deal with the unrest.
In Donetsk, in what was reportedly the day's most violent protest, a large group of activists broke away from a crowd rallying in the main city square to attack and occupy the regional government seat.
After clashing with riot police and breaking through their lines to enter the building, they raised the Russian flag and hung a banner from the building. Protesters outside cheered and chanted: "Russia, Russia."
Ihor Dyomin, a spokesman for Donetsk local police, said about 1,000 people had taken part in the storming of the building.
"Around 100 people are now inside the building and are barricading the building," he added.
The protesters in Donetsk engaged in a stand-off with riot police
Scuffles between the two sides broke out
A breakaway group broke into the regional administration building and hung a banner
In Luhansk, similar scenes saw pro-Russian demonstrators remove the sign from the front of the Ukrainian state security agency
In Luhansk, police fired tear gas at dozens of protesters who broke into the local security service building in an attempt to force the release of 15 pro-Russian activists who were arrested earlier in the week and accused of plotting violent unrest.
Local news reports said at least two people had been injured in clashes, and TV pictures from the scene showed a riot policeman being taken away on a stretcher.
And in Kharkiv, several dozen people also entered the regional government building after breaking through police lines.
They waved Russian flags out of windows as a crowd outside cheered and chanted. Police officers reportedly refused to use force against the crowd and moved away from the government building after the pro-Russian supporters broke in.
Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov accused President Putin and Mr Yanukovych - who was forced from office in February following months of street protests and is now living in exile in Russia - of "ordering and paying for another wave of separatist turmoil in the country's east".
In a message posted on his Facebook account, he said: "The people who have gathered are not many but they are very aggressive. The situation will be brought under control without bloodshed. But at the same time, a firm approach will be used against all who attack government buildings, law enforcement officers and other citizens."
Tensions are running high between Ukraine and Russia, with thousands of Russian soldiers still said to be deployed along the border.
The new administration in Ukraine has faced continuing opposition from Ukraine's Russian-speaking regions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's far-right Svoboda party has reported that the body of one its activists was found on Saturday after it was dumped in the woods with signs of torture, a day after his abduction in the central village of Vygrayev.
Svoboda was one of the participants in the protests that toppled Mr Yanukovych's administration.
http://m.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26910210

smart2009's photo
Thu 04/03/14 06:50 AM
The U.S. trade deficit climbed to the highest level in five months in February as demand for American exports fell while imports increased slightly.
The deficit increased to $42.3 billion, which was 7.7 percent above the January imbalance of $39.3 billion, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
U.S. exports slipped 1.1 percent to $190.4 billion as sales of commercial aircraft, computers and farm goods fell. Imports edged up 0.4 percent to $232.7 billion, reflecting gains in imports of autos and clothing which offset a drop in crude oil that fell to the lowest level in more than three years.
A higher trade deficit acts as a drag on economic growth because it means U.S. companies are making less overseas than their foreign competitors are earning in U.S. sales.
The trade deficit is the difference between imports and exports. A higher trade deficit acts as a drag on economic growth because it means U.S. companies are making less overseas than their foreign competitors are earning in U.S. sales.
For the first two months of this year, the deficit is running 4.5 percent below the same period in 2013 when the deficit dropped to $474.9 billion, 11.2 percent below the annual deficit in 2012.
Many economists expect the trade deficit will keep narrowing this year as exports, helped by an energy production boom in the United States, grow faster than imports. But analysts expect the improvement will be modest because they are also looking for imports to rise as a stronger U.S. economy and higher consumer spending attract more foreign goods.
A domestic energy boom has boosted exports and reduced America's dependence on foreign oil. U.S. petroleum exports rose to an all-time high of $137.2 billion last year, up 11 percent from 2012. Energy imports fell 10.9 percent to $369.4 billion as domestic production took the place of some imports.
For February, energy exports dropped 10.2 percent to $11.1 billion while petroleum imports fell 2 percent to $31 billion. Crude oil imports fell to $19.5 billion, the lowest level since October 2010.
The deficit with China dropped a sharp 25.1 percent in February to $20.9 billion. But analysts are still looking for the trade gap with China, which has been the highest with any country, to top the record set in 2013.
Those record deficits have increased pressure on the Obama administration and Congress to take a tougher line on what critics see as unfair trade practices by China to gain trade advantages.
Critics have aimed many of their complaints at China's currency policies. They say Beijing is manipulating its currency to keep it undervalued against the U.S. dollar. That makes Chinese goods cheaper in the United States and more attractive to American consumers and American product more expensive in China.
The Obama administration is lobbying Congress to pass the "fast track" authority it will need to speed approval of two big trade agreements it is currently negotiating, but election-year politics are complicating the White House effort.
The administration is negotiating one trade agreement with Japan and 10 other Pacific nations. The other agreement would be a trans-Atlantic deal with the 28-nation European Union.
The deals would lower trade barriers and are seen by supporters as a good way to boost U.S. export sales. But critics, including many labor unions, contend that the agreements will open American workers to greater competition and actually end up costing U.S. jobs.
While Obama enjoys the support of many U.S. corporate executives and Republicans in Congress for the trade deals, many Democratic lawmakers have voiced their opposition.

smart2009's photo
Mon 03/31/14 12:08 PM
The founding fathers set up a system of government that was to be run by citizens, a person who would sacrifice a productive time in their life to perform public service for good of country and then return to their life outside of Washington. This has morphed into a system of entitlement to a class of professional politicians that feed off the public for personal gain and power. In the end it really doesn't matter which party is elected, the only ones who are served are the PAC's, corporations and cronies that helped them get into office. Unless we overturn the ownership of the country by the highest bidder, nothing will change in any meaningful way.

smart2009's photo
Mon 03/31/14 09:37 AM
Republicans are the party of the rich, right? It's a label that has stuck for decades, and you're hearing it again as Democrats complain about GOP opposition to raising the minimum wage and extending unemployment benefits.

But in Congress, the wealthiest among us are more likely to be represented by a Democrat than a Republican. Of the 10 richest House districts, only two have Republican congressmen. Democrats claim the top six, sprinkled along the East and West coasts. Most are in overwhelmingly Democratic states like New York and California.

The richest: New York's 12th Congressional District, which includes Manhattan's Upper East Side, as well as parts of Queens and Brooklyn. Democrat Carolyn Maloney is in her 11th term representing the district.

Per capita income in Maloney's district is $75,479. That's more than $75,000 a year for every man, woman and child. The next highest income district, which runs along the southern California coast, comes in at $61,273. Democrat Henry Waxman is in his 20th term representing the Los Angeles-area district.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district comes in at No. 8.

Across the country, Democratic House districts have an average per capita income of $27,893. That's about $1,000 higher than the average income in Republican districts. The difference is relatively small because Democrats also represent a lot of poor districts, putting the average in the middle.

Democrats say the"party of the rich"label is more about policies than constituents.

During the 2012 presidential election, Republican nominee Mitt Romney declared,"We're not the party of the rich. We're the party of the people who want to get rich."

The famously wealthy Romney also uttered a more famous quote about the 47 percent of Americans who pay no federal income tax.

"My job is not to worry about those people,"Romney said in a secretly taped speech at a private fundraiser."I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

In the election, Romney carried only one income group: people making $100,000 or more, according to exit polls. But when it comes to Congress, the rich districts like their Democrats.

The 10 richest House districts:

___

New York 12

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Democrat

Per capita income: $75,479

___

California 33

Rep. Henry Waxman, Democrat

Per capita income: $61,273

___

New York 10

Rep. Jerry Nadler, Democrat

Per capita income: $56,138

___

California 18

Rep. Anna Eshoo, Democrat

Per capita income: $ 54,182

___

Connecticut 4

Rep. Jim Himes, Democrat

Per capita income: $50,732

___

Virginia 8

Rep. Jim Moran, Democrat

Per capita income: $50,210

___

New Jersey 7

Rep. Leonard Lance, Republican

Per capita income: $48,556

___

California 12

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Democrat

Per capita income: $48,523

___

New York 3

Rep. Steve Israel, Democrat

Per capita income: $47,991

___

Virginia 10

Rep. Frank Wolf, Republican

Per capita income: $47,281

___

Source: Census Bureau.

smart2009's photo
Mon 03/31/14 09:11 AM
Germany's Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has welcomed a "slight reduction" in the number of Russian troops along Ukraine's border.
The Russian defence ministry said one motorised infantry battalion was withdrawing from the Rostov region.
After a meeting with his French and Polish counterparts, Mr Steinmeier said it was a "small signal" that the situation was becoming less tense.
Thousands of Russian soldiers are still said to be deployed along the border.

smart2009's photo
Mon 03/31/14 09:05 AM
Meanwhile, OBAMA DISAPPROVAL RATING @ RECORD HIGH - 59% "Overall disapproval of the job Obama is doing ticked up to 59 percent — a record high for his presidency — in the poll released Wednesday. That's still well below the 72 percent disapproval rate that former President George W. Bush recorded in the AP-GfK poll in October 2008. Still, Obama's 41 percent approval rating is a sobering number for fellow Democrats running in this fall's House and Senate elections."- source: ABC News.
Putin аpproval 82,3%.

smart2009's photo
Mon 03/31/14 01:12 AM
A 19-year-old woman charged with killing a Pennsylvania man she met through Craigslist has given a second jailhouse interview and provided specific details about other killings she claims to have committed.
Miranda Barbour told the Daily Item newspaper of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, that she killed men in Big Lake, Alaska; Mexico Beach, Florida; and Raleigh, North Carolina.
In her first jailhouse interview in mid-February, she told the Daily Item reporter she had killed at least 22 men over six years across the country but didn't provide any specific locations.
Sunbury Police Chief Chief Steve Mazzeo told CNN he passed along the information to other jurisdictions.
"I'm not saying I do or don't believe it," Mazzeo said Sunday.
CNN is seeking a response from law enforcement authorities in those three cities.
Sunbury police have charged Miranda Barbour and her husband, Elytte Barbour, 22, in one death, the November 2013 stabbing and strangling of Troy LaFerrara, 42, in their car. They connected with him through a Craigslist companionship ad, police said.
Investigators tracked the couple through phone numbers in LaFerrara's phone.
Police said the couple just wanted to kill someone together for the thrill. They had been married for only three weeks at the time of the slaying and had moved from North Carolina to Pennsylvania after tying the knot.
After Barbour's first interview, authorities said they had not corroborated any of her claims, including statements that she was involved in Satanism.
"They are looking for full bodies," Barbour told the Daily Item in the second interview. "They won't find any. But they will find body parts" of runaways and individuals she described as bad people in Big Lake and Mexico Beach. She told the paper she dumped a body off Interstate 95 in Raleigh but gave no other details.
Her lawyer, Edward Greco, told CNN on Sunday he had no comment.
In the recent interview, Barbour told the Daily Item that two other men responded to her ad for companionship but never showed up to meet her.
"I tried it a few times, but it never worked out," Miranda Barbour told the Daily Item, referring to the couple's plan to kill someone together. "I knew we were going to do this since the day we met, and we tried, but the others just didn't show up."
http://cnnmobile.com/primary/wk_fullarticle?articleId=urn:newsml:CNN.com:20140331:craigslist-killing-suspect-interview:1&category=us#page2

smart2009's photo
Fri 03/28/14 06:03 PM
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

For a handful of potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates visiting Sin City this weekend, the doors are closed to the press and public -- but the speakers very much want voters to know they are there.
Ostensibly, a parade of high-profile streaming for a four-day But they're also there for face mega donor who is on the board of the coalition and the affair.
Being seen in Adelson's company at this early stage is a political plus. The billionaire effectively bankrolled Newt Gingrich's presidential run in 2012, and is poised to make another political gamble in 2016.
Among the first to arrive, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was honored Thursday at an exclusive gala in Adelson's private Vegas airport hangar -- a big deal for Bush, who is considering a White House run.
Other potential 2016 presidential contenders will be addressing the RJC in Vegas behind closed doors as well this weekend, including: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Christie, speaking Friday at a press conference otherwise called to address a newly released internal report on the New Jersey bridge lane scandal, acknowledged that he would be speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition but said he wasn't sure if he'd meet with the Adelsons.
"Oftentimes, they set up other private meetings for me with donors or potential donors to solicit them for the Republican Governors Association, so I'm sure I'll have some meetings," he said.
Adelson was a major donor in the 2012 race. While spending $15 million to help Gingrich, he also gave $30 million on top of that to help the GOP nominee Mitt Romney -- and even flew to Jerusalem for Romney's Israel tour.
Overall, Adelson spent more than $90 million trying to defeat President Obama in 2012, and that may not include some donations that went to groups not required to report them.
This time, Adelson wants to help elect a mainstream economic conservative who supports Israel and stands a good chance of -- well, winning. Adelson downplays socially conservative issues, preferring to focus on the economy and foreign policy.
For Bush, the Las Vegas reception marks an important moment. By this point in past presidential cycles, this son of one president -- and brother of another -- had already taken himself out of the running. He knows full well these Vegas appearances will be widely seen as an important step closer to running, and he's said he will make a decision by the end of the year.
Both Kasich and Walker face re-elections in their home states before any presidential run can really start, and the governors want Adelson's support in both campaigns.
Since Christie's landslide re-election four months ago, he's been battling to clear his name in the scandal over lane closures last year near the George Washington Bridge -- Adelson's invitation is a key signal that Christie remains very much in the mix.

smart2009's photo
Fri 03/28/14 05:38 PM
Facebook has ambitious plans to connect the two-thirds of the world that has no net access, using drones, satellites and lasers.
The move was announced on the social media platformby founder Mark Zuckerberg.
It will put it in direct competition with Google, which is planning to deliver net access via balloons.
Both of the net giants want to extend their audiences, especially in the developing world.
Details about Facebook's plan were scant but it will include a fleet of solar-powered drones as well as low-earth orbit and geosynchronous satellites. Invisible, infrared laser beams could also be used to boost the speed of the net connections.
Last year Facebook and other technology companies launched internet.org to help bring net access to the huge swathes of the globe that are still not connected.
Aerospace experts
The social network has already teamed up with telecoms operators in the Philippines and Paraguay to double the number of people using the internet in that region.
"We're going to continue building these partnerships, but connecting the whole world will require inventing new technology too," Mr Zuckerberg said in his post.
To bring the project to fruition, Facebook has set up a Connectivity Lab that will include experts in aerospace and communication technology, from Nasa's jet propulsion lab and its Ames research centre.
It has also hired a five-member team that worked at British firm Ascenta, whose founders developed the Zephyr, which holds the record for the longest-flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft.
Earlier this month there were rumours that the social network was interested in buying drone-maker Titan but there was no mention of this in the announcement.
Altruistic?
The plans form part of Facebook's ambitions to extend its reach beyond its 1.2 billion audience, thinks Ovum analyst Mark Little.
"Zuckerberg is pushing this as an altruistic way of connecting more people in the world - the net as a basic human right - but by increasing the total of net connections it also increases Facebook's members and the amount of sharing done, which in turn creates more space for advertising and drives its revenues in a massive way."
Last year Google announced similar plans to develop solar-powered balloons to deliver net access to remote areas of the world.
Code-named Project Loon, 30 of the super-pressure balloons were launched in New Zealand in June.
"It is perhaps aptly named," said Mr Little.
"It is going to have a lot of political hoops to jump through. Some governments won't put up with having that fleet over their airspace."
Mr Little thinks that for both Facebook and Google, the technology in their projects may prove to be "the easy bit" and that the real challenge will lie in persuading governments around the world that its alternative networks are viable.
"Mobile operators are always under threat from alternative ways of delivering net services. This becomes a concern for governments when a nation's communications rest on an outside provider," he said.

smart2009's photo
Fri 03/28/14 11:26 AM
Revolution in Ukraine continues.
Self - Defense vs Right Sector.

Previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 24 25